


White Noise

by Glamourcat



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 10:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4388531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glamourcat/pseuds/Glamourcat





	White Noise

Title: White Noise  
Author: J.R. Cooper  
Date Completed: November 11, 2008  
Part: 1 of 1  
Warnings: G rated, mild language usage  
Disclaimer: All characters used are my own original creation and may not be used without my express permission.  
Summary: A graphic designer struggles to find peace in a chaotic day.  
Distribution: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/jrcsmin  
Notes: This piece was created for the VBG Writer’s Forum. It’s my answer to Painted Gryphon’s theme challenge of “static.” It follows a “stream of consciousness” style.

 

The screen flickers at me in another of a series of endless reminders that I’m working on a piece of crap machine at a piece of crap job. After giving my monitor its “love tap” and straightening out the flickering, I stretch in my seat, arms above my head. When did this happen to me? When did I become another cubical jockey, just waiting with urgent desperation for that sweet moment when the clock hits 6pm?

Glancing at my photos pinned to the cube’s scratchy fabric walls I wonder if my cats miss me, if my mom has left yet another message on my voice mail detailing what’s wrong with me and my so-called life, and if any of my friends have taken time out of their own hectic days to think about me in return. 

“Julie.”

Ah, the authoritative voice of my boss. “Yes sir?” I spin in my chair to face him as he walks into my cube. 

Stan Rogers is a mystery to me. He looks like something that crawled out of the shallow end of the gene pool with his white dress shirts that are at least a size and a half too small, the balding comb over, the black tie that’s too narrow and makes me want to grab it and strangle him with the damned thing…and yet, he’s my boss. Somehow he crawled up out of the drudge work of the cubes to become the all mighty cube-boss.

“Julie, I’ve got the new add we’re working on. The team thinks that it could use some extra pizzazz…”

Uh-oh, I know where this is going…

“So, do you think you could take this and, you know, Photoshop it?”

Ugh…I can not convince him that Photoshop is the tool, not the process. I went to design school for four years only to have the damned program get the credit. I take the proffered advertisement from him and look at it. It is a little bland.

“Well, what would you like? I could change the font size, or off set the image, make it larger, or smaller, maybe a new color scheme?”

He looks at me like I’m a five headed dragon. “Just…you know, Photoshop it.” With that final much needed piece of guidance he walks away. 

My screen flickers again, and this time my speakers flare on with a brief burst of static. Jumping out of my seat I scramble to turn the damned things off. I hadn’t even noticed they were on. Complaints about the noise issue from the lost cube souls surrounding me. 

“Sorry! Sorry! My bad!” I call out to placate the lost cube souls. I sit back down, and stare at my current project on screen. Should I finish this one first? Or should I start the new advertisement that Stan just gave me? I’m no longer sure which one takes priority. If I had asked, I probably would’ve wound up working on both at the same time. Is it six yet? A quick glance at the computer’s clock confirms for me that I still have an indomitable hour left in this cube hell. 

Blindly I forge ahead with my current project. After all, it’s what’s in front of me right now. I’m sure how I manage to get anything done…after all, an hour left on the day, pictures staring at me, and intermittent flickering of the screen are all pretty good excuses for daydreaming. Sometimes I just can’t turn off the static in my own head. So many ideas (none of them work related), so many worries, so much over-all lameness in my life. How do you turn it all off? How do you make all that jarring static into just soothing white noise?

Belatedly, I realize that the clock is now releasing me from cube prison and I can finally leave. My last work thought of the day being only that I don’t have to stare at a flickering screen anymore. Maybe the flickers cause brain static? 

The bus ride home is a chance to refocus my thoughts, get myself excited about my free time in the evening, the potential self-esteem ruining phone call from my mother, the cats demanding dinner, the friends who probably didn’t think of me once today…

Christ, when did I get so depressing? This calls for a Subway Chicken Pizzola foot-long, on wheat, and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food. Bringing dinner and desert home is so much easier then attempting to make myself believe I can actually cook. 

Walking into my apartment should feel different somehow, shouldn’t it? Shouldn’t I be relived? Relaxed? Happy? So why am I still so worried about my crap job, my mother, and the other miscellaneous items of my life? 

Blithely ignoring the blinking light on my answering machine, I scoop out food for the cats, and replace their water. My tabbies briefly bump their heads against my knees on the way to the food. At least someone’s happy with me today, even if it’s not I.

T.V., subway, and Phish Food. Not a bad way to unwind, just a mildly unhealthy one. After a finished my sandwich, but before I’d gotten a third of the way into my ice cream I’m head butted by an eleven pound gray tabby. My little boy, Ryan purrs into my ear, as my girl Lily, curls up into my lap also purring. 

I turn off the T.V. I put my head back and listen to Lily and Ryan, closing my eyes. For the first time today, all that jarring static is just soothing white noise.


End file.
